Day 431 Tis the season....for shopping.

The holiday season is officially underway, even in the 'jing!
There's always something happening in a city of 23+ million
people, and the best way to stay in the loop is to subscribe to
several sites on WeChat.  The Beijinger published a calendar of
Holiday Craft Bazaars that are happening in the coming
weeks.  This reminds me of the days of going to bazaars
with my bff, Susan, which was way too many moons ago.
This year, I was joined by my Beijing bff, Jeanette :)

It was naturally an hours + subway trek to the
northeast side of town, but it was oh so worth it.
Why, you ask?!  Because it was held in a German
restaurant and bar, and I was greeted with
fabulous German pastries the minute I walked in!
I naturally dropped the first bit of $$ there :)

I met this sweet girl who makes custom jewelry.  She is just
25 years old, and set out for Beijing on her own six years
ago.  She is now fluent in Mandarin, and is quite successful.
What a brave girl to take on China at 19 years old :)

We poured over many crafters tables selling
everything from bracelets and bangles, to
totebags, bagels, knitted caps, raw honey,
hand crafted beer and wine, and cilantro pesto.
Yep, you read that right- cilantro pesto. I was
assured it tastes fabulous.  Don't get me wrong;
I like cilantro- but a little cilantro goes a long way.

I scored an actual ginko leaf that was made into a
charm for my necklace.  I am so happy to have a
'special something' from China to go with my other
special charms.... a pearl from my daughter Ellie,
a ship's wheel from my sailing adventures, a dolphin
from the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys
and a cross from my special someone. It is often the
littlest of things that makes me the happiest :)

Loaded up with the first round of Christmas shopping
purchases, we opted for a cab to get to our next
Christmas shopping destination- the Pearl Market :)
Yep, it was a sh***y air day, that had only gotten
worse since we left the apartment that morning.

How sh***y was it, you ask? Almost
chewable air- 369 city wide, and a
whopping 480 at the US Embassy.
That's a red alert, severely polluted,
if you have chronic health conditions
DO NOT GO OUTSIDE kind of day.

Even though the bad air is clearly hazardous to your
physical health, sometimes your mental health
requires you to simply "mask up" and head out
anyhow. A little retail therapy can be a good thing, right?
Behind the masks L to R is Jeanette, Kathy, me, and Kirsten.

Kathy drives a hard bargain at the Pearl Market- it is so
funny to watch her in action, lol.  Jeanette got to put her four
hour a week Mandarin lessons to good use, scoring on
several pairs of UGG boots and TOMS shoes.  But, none
of us were letting Kirsten out alive until she purchased
a new purse- she eventually gave in- then so did I :)

Of course, we all made a new Chinese "friend" in the process, too!

I spent my Saturday evening pouring over my packages and sorting out my Christmas shopping lists. I had plenty to keep myself busy and entertained the rest of the weekend, as the air never did clear up. My air purifiers have been hard at work many times this fall, and by Sunday evening I decided it was time to check on them. Oh. my. goodness. gracious. They were B L A C K.  Disgusting.  Tomorrow's

to do list?  Get a Chinese colleague to help me order replacement filters, and find out how to get these Christmas presents air mailed home to the States.  Even the simplest of chores, errands, or tasks can somehow get all the more complicated in the China.  I'd better make sure my phone is charged up for the translator app, and I need to sharpen my skills at charades. My fingers are crossed, and I remain hopeful...stay tuned.

G'nite y'all!